USFilter IPS Composting System Helps City Extend Life of Landfills, Manage Biosolids

RAPID CITY, S.D., May 30, 2003--The city of Rapid City, S.D., has begun operation of its new IPS Composting System from USFilter, representing the third phase of the city's solid waste program. The $7.2 million facility will compost and recycle municipal solid waste and biosolids.

The system will convert 213 tons per day of preprocessed solid waste from the city's Material Recovery Facility and biosolids from the city’s Water Reclamation Facility into compost. Specifically, 157 tons of pre-processed organic residuals from rotating bioreactors and 56 tons of biosolids will be processed each day. Rapid City will market the compost and use it for reclamation and agriculture.

“We developed the solid waste program because of a strong community interest in recycling and to prolong the life of our landfill,” says Jerry Wright, solid waste superintendent, Public Works Department, Rapid City.

The first two phases of the solid waste program, the Material Recovery Facility and two rotating bioreactors, were completed in 1997.  However, economic concerns prompted the city to put the composting project on hold. Renewed attention toward the final phase, the co-composting plant, occurred when Rapid City decided to upgrade its Water Reclamation Facility in 1999 and biosolids management, utilizing sludge farming, became a major problem for the city.

“The fact that the co-composting plant had been designed and planned was a motivation,” says Wright, “but when biosolids came in the picture it encouraged us to complete the program.”

When the first round of bids for the co-composting facility exceeded the project’s $8.9 million budget, the city examined ways to re-bid the project and was contacted by USFilter.

“USFilter gave us a concept that was good and worked economically,” says Wright.

The city formed a technical team of 15 people, comprised of the city’s engineering staff, the Alliance of Architects and Engineers and their subconsultants, and USFilter’s IPS personnel.
 
The technical team conducted an intense concept design workshop to achieve the project objectives and stay within the budget.  The city discarded all previous design work and accepted a new approach for an IPS system to follow its existing municipal solid waste sorting plant.

 “For three months, the team worked continuously to re-design the co-composting plant for the city,” says Barb Petroff, IPS project manager, USFilter.  “As a result of the team’s efforts, the city bid the project on time and $800,000 below the project estimate.”

The IPS Composting System is capable of turning wastewater biosolids, food, paper and other organic wastes into high quality compost for agricultural and horticultural use. The unique enclosed design of the system ensures that the material is adequately mixed, aerated and moistened during the composting process. It is an EPA-approved technology and the end product meets the EPA’s Part 503 regulatory requirements for Process to Further Reduce Pathogens. 

USFilter has developed a number of innovative technologies to help municipalities manage their biosolids. Technologies from digestion to thermal treatment to composting turn wastewater residuals into high-quality biosolids that are safe for land application. USFilter’s proven biosolids technologies and research help communities across the country recycle material for return to the environment.

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